The car stopped inside a mansion reminiscent of Suzhou gardens. The mansion was as grand as serene lakes and mountains, as poetic as small bridges over flowing waters in the quaint and idyllic Jiangnan countryside. She had never had the opportunity to step into such a beautiful home before.
Gu Shaocheng disregarded her apprehension, forcefully seizing her hand.
Ye Chenxing's left hand was tightly gripped by him, bewildered and led by him. She wore his thick coat, and guards on both sides respectfully held umbrellas over them.
The scene was both cinematic and awe-inspiring.
"Where are we?" Chenxing asked the man beside her, somewhat nervously.
"My domain!"
Chenxing didn't understand what he meant. Like the old woman Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, she repeatedly glanced around, curiously looking everywhere but dared not to make any reckless remarks. The place was heavily guarded with sentinels all around. She could only mutter four words:
"So beautiful, so vast."
Gu Shaocheng chuckled, "We can have a tour later, a typhoon is coming!"
"Sir."
Guards along the way bowed respectfully in a salute.
However, he just nodded slightly, dragging her straight into a room, preparing fresh clothes for her, and pushed her into the bathroom.
"First get a bath, change into clean clothes, and take a nap. We can talk about everything else when you're well-rested."
Chenxing stood nervously at the bathroom door, "Can you tell me who you are?"
She had a slew of questions.
He drew a beautiful arc with his attractive lips, holding the back of her head with one hand. Gu Shaocheng bent over and stole a meticulous peck, landing on her icy lips, "I don't like nosy, curious creatures, nor do I appreciate anyone questioning my arrangements."
Chenxing's heart trembled. She had never been kissed by a man before, especially not such a ferocious one. She was trembling with fear. Yet, in that same tone, he tenderly caressed her back, "I like obedient and well-behaved girls. If you're not, start learning from this moment."
She was the one who sought him out first. Since he's in charge now, as compensation, she belongs to him!
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The layout of the Gu Family mansion is divided into two parts, inner and outer.
The outer part is allocated for subordinates and stewards to live in, its architecture is relatively modern, while the inner part is where Gu Shaocheng works and rests alone. It's similar to the layout style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and it's rumored that during the turbulent times in Ming Dynasty, the Gu family's ancestors were visionary. They moved an entire building to Canada, which was massively expensive, yet extraordinarily impressive.
The inner residence is heavily guarded, and without his summons, lower-ranked individuals may never get a chance to step foot into the inner residence in their lifetime.
Upon Chenxing's arrival, she was directly assigned to the room next to Gu Shaocheng's living quarters in the inner part, which gave rise to much turmoil instantly.
"Heard that the master personally brought back a girl and placed her directly in the inner residence."
Wang Yuanyuan learned of the news as soon as she returned. She lowered her eyebrows and eyes, not uttering a word.
Layer by layer, after numerous reports, Wang Yuanyuan, following her entourage, walked through the quiet corridors to reach the study room of Gu Shaocheng at the inner residence. The butler made a gesture to her from outside the study room.
She knew what it meant: she had to wait.
However, this time, she ended up waiting until nightfall. Even the butler didn't understand Gu Shaocheng's intentions. He didn't seem to be busy at all. Normally, he was affectionate towards Wang Yuanyuan. But today, he was cold towards her, his attention completely on the new girl. He patiently waited for her after her bath, watched her have dinner, and ensured she had gone to sleep before leisurely reading in his study.